


Deserving of the World Taken From You

by Kasino



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Adoptive Parent Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Enemies to Friends, F/F, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Other, Post-Canon, Post-War, Retired Soldier Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), Second Chances
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-15 09:41:52
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,875
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29434044
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kasino/pseuds/Kasino
Summary: The greatest souls are often those to receive the most hardships.With the Rumbling leaving the world asunder, Levi's wounds have left him unable to serve the Scout Regiment any longer, and Queen Historia has gifted him with a small cottage a few miles from hers, north of the walls, to live out the rest of his days in peace, with the two children that he swore to protect after the death of their families.Gabi Braun and Falco Grice.
Relationships: Gabi Braun/Falco Grice, Krista Lenz | Historia Reiss/Ymir, Levi/Hange Zoë
Comments: 16
Kudos: 113





	Deserving of the World Taken From You

The deep cuts of twin blades sliced through his memories once again. The carnage of bodies left behind by the Female Titan, that once composed his greatest squad. The last delusional words of a dying commander. The sacrifice of the greatest scientific mind of their generation. The cold emptiness that accompanied a promise fulfilled. All gone. All empty. With nothing but their fading words to sooth his tormented mind...

"Hange!" Levi cried out, flung from his nightmares by a beautiful and crazy laugh. As his eyes adjusted to the morning sun that streamed through his windows, reflecting off of the mirror on his desk, his left hand gripped his chest in anguish, an erratic heartbeat pounding through the trials of his sleepless nights.

Letting out a sigh, he took a sip of water from the glass at his bedside, careful not to drop it from his three-fingered hand, and stared at the blades that stood mounted on the wall across from him. Still sharp enough that he could see his reflection glancing back at him in shame, taking other all-too-familiar forms that were not his own. A solemn face resigned to his fate, a single eye that lamented in Levi's first use of the words his regiment was known for, and a pair of glasses that kept behind them both monster and man. Levi hung his head, a feeling of helplessness creeping into his soul and tugging at his heart, overwhelming him with the knowledge of his past sins. Until he began to hear a few stray laughs trickle into his room from the fields outside.

He forced himself off his bed and limped over to the window, the crutch he used to support his injured leg making each floorboard creak, and he leaned against the spotless oak frame, seeing two children outside, running around like they'd never before had the chance to play. Not that they ever had. A brunette girl, who still seemed to carry a little bit of a chip on her shoulders, stumbled on a tree root as she chased after a blond boy, who unlike her, was laughing and smiling like he'd never been what the world had forced him to become.

Gabi Braun and Falco Grice. Two of the last Warriors, and Levi's kids.

He let the tiniest smile lift the corners of his lips as Gabi tackled Falco to the ground and the Jaw jokingly put his hand to his mouth. Levi shook his head and made his way to the door while Gabi and Falco stared up the clear skies of Paradis and laughed with a childlike innocence they had never had the privilege of knowing. Levi descended the stairs and grimaced when he saw a steaming cup of tea on the counter with a note next to it.

_Get it while it's hot, thought this time we'd ask for Ms. Reiss's help with how to prepare it. We're pretty sure we got the steps right this time. - Gabi_

Levi appreciated their efforts, but as he sipped their newest concoction, his eyes widened and the burning bitterness in his mouth made him sputter as he poured the drink onto the potted plants he'd gotten from Historia and began to heat up a new cup over the fire the kids had prepared. It was a sweet gesture, but every cup of tea Gabi and Falco tried to make made him want to throw up. He flicked through the notes that had been left on the counter when the kids went out to play, and sighed as he saw an invitation to Annie and Armin's wedding. She didn't have long left now. Maybe three years at the most. He filtered through the rest, arranging anything he'd have to do later in his head. Meet up for awkward family lunch with Mikasa and purchase the rest of the arrows he and Pieck needed for their hunting trip next week. He also remembered that tomorrow would have been Reiner's birthday, so he made a note to take Gabi to visit his grave.

With his tea finished, he picked up the cup and the newspaper and pushed the front door open with his shoulder, holding the newspaper in front of his eyes to stave off the blinding light of the sun. He looked around and saw Gabi and Falco headed around the back of the house, Gabi quickly knocking Falco to the floor before he knocked her leg out from under her. They were going to be filthy.

"Hey kids! You make sure you're not all that dirty when you come back!" Obviously, the kids just laughed when they noticed how dirt and grass was covering them, and they took off with a sprint.

"We will! You have my word Levi!" Gabi threw back a, most likely empty, promise, and Falco slapped her on the shoulder.

"I promise we'll do the best we can dad!" Falco's words seemed a bit more honest.

They took off and Levi placed his cup gently on the porch table, leaning back in his rocking chair that Gabi took every chance she had to make fun of him for, and he began to skim through the newspaper for anything interesting. Of course, as per usual, there wasn't much, disputes among the residents of what used to be the areas of Wall Sina and Wall Rose, that were probably still nightmares to Historia. There was some bizarre news about a titan museum opening up in Shiganshina, but Levi would reserve any kind of judgment until he saw the final product, and funnily enough, Armin and Annie's upcoming wedding was front-page news. It seemed that being a Titan Shifter was equivalent to being famous these days. Levi was sure Annie absolutely detested the notion.

As his reading material got shorter and shorter, the neighing of a horse reached his ears, and he looked up to see a familiar chestnut galloping towards his home, with a familiar queen seated atop it.

"Historia!" He called, folding his paper up and waving to her. "I would get up but honestly the kids were a pain in my ass yesterday and I am too tired."

"That's no problem at all Levi," Historia laughed as her horse slowed down to a trot. "I've been over here enough times to know how full of energy those kids are."

"Yeah, try reining them in when you've got two missing fingers, one eye and a busted leg, then we can talk about how exhausting they are."

Historia finished hitching Maria to the post just before the porch, and took the four steps up before seating herself beside Levi, relaxing into the cushioned chair he'd set up for her ever since her weekly morning visits had begun. They sat in silence for a moment, each of them appreciating the sunrise, a warm feeling gathering in their chests as their breaths slowed and the beautiful hues of the horizon painted the sky.

"How's Ymir?" Levi asked after their ritualistic moments of shared peace.

"She's alright," Historia said. "Thankfully nowhere near as fussy as a one-year old should be, so sometimes I actually get some sleep. You may claim that Gabi and Falco are exhausting, but at least you got to skip the baby phase. I love her, but whenever Ymir starts crying, it just doesn't stop. I only slept last night because Mikasa offered to babysit her all night because she'd been sleeping all day."

Levi chuckled and sipped on his drink, sliding the newspaper over to Historia.

"Oh no thank you," She groaned and pushed it back. "If I hear one more word about these disputes today, I'm throwing myself into the ocean."

"Yeah, but then Ymir would kick your ass back to life to take care of your baby." Levi retorted, imagining the scene play out in his head.

"Yeah. What do you think she'd feel about it?"

Levi turned to her inquisitively, and noted her furrowed brows and shimmering eyes, that were also circled with red. She'd been crying this morning.

"About what?"

"That I named my baby after her."

Levi fell silent, unsure if he'd be able to truthfully answer such a question about a woman he barely knew. His fingers began to tap absent-mindedly on the table as he considered whether or not it was even his place to say, but then the memory of the person he loved, their voice echoing through his body and turning him rigid gave him his answer. He may not have known Ymir, but he knew what it was like to love and be loved, and maybe that was all there was to it.

"I can't say that I knew Ymir well, or, at all for that matter, but I have been in love, and I can tell you that, if someone loves you, the only thing they'd ever want is for you to be happy. And if calling that baby Ymir in honour of the woman you love is what makes you happy, then I'm sure Ymir is smiling down from the Paths."

Historia smiled and used her sleeve to wipe away the tears that adorned her lashes, letting out a small laugh.

"She's only probably fine with it because she's dead. If she was alive and we had a baby, the idea of naming our child after her would probably give her a heart attack."

"It's entirely possible."

They both laughed at the prospect, and Levi caught Historia beaming at him radiantly.

"What are you smiling at princess?"

"First of all, it's queen," Historia laughed when Levi rolled his eyes. "And it's just... Nice. It's good to see you this happy, I don't think I've ever seen you smile or laugh this much. In fact the only time I ever remember you laughing was when I punched you."

"Yeah well..." Levi trailed off as Falco ran back around the corner, trailing Gabi behind him by the hand. If Levi wasn't mistaken, there was the slightest hint of a blush reddening her cheeks. "Those kids, they've given me something that I lost with..."

He still couldn't bring himself to say their name, not even after it had been over a year since their sacrifice.

"With Hange?" Historia helped him get his thoughts across in moments like these. She had become pretty good at reading him lately.

"... Yeah. Gabi and Falco have given me someone to love. I... I don't think I'd still be here without them."

"It's funny, the things kids can do in our lives, isn't it?" Historia watched as the two children, exhausted from their morning, slumped against a tree, and Gabi lay her head on Falco's shoulder, lacing their fingers together. Historia remembered the day Ymir was born, and how every day prior to that, knowing that she had conceived this child only so that she could avoid being used as a pawn, was worth it. Getting to hold that child in her hands was the greatest gift this cruel world had ever given her, and she had only wished that her love could have been there to hold her, and that the baby would have had two mothers to love her unconditionally.

"Yeah."

"Has Gabi called you 'dad' yet?" Historia asked. "I know Falco's been doing it for a few months now, but I don't think you've mentioned Gabi saying it."

"No, she hasn't. But that's okay." Levi smiled as Gabi closed her eyes, and Falco rested his chin on her head, rubbing her hand with his thumb in a slow circular motion. "Everyone gets there at their own pace. If she does start to call me 'dad' eventually, then that'll be great. If not, then it's not an issue."

Historia couldn't help but admire the man that sat before her today. Back when Levi tried to force her to become queen, she never would have imagined that she'd be sitting here with him, enjoying the sunrise together. Although to be fair, she never imagined either of them would live that long, especially not with the rest of the world annihilated by a man they once called a friend. But despite the horrors, Historia was happy, and Levi finally felt like he had a purpose other than fighting.

"I'm sure they must be grateful for what you've given them. I mean, I don't think they ever imagined it would have been possible to live a regular childhood. The potential to just play all day, not have to worry about war or death. Even if it is just for twelve more years." Historia stopped herself from saying anything further, but Levi didn't seem too offended.

"It's alright Historia, I've talked about it with them, it's going to hurt when the time comes, but for now, they just want to try and live as best they can until that day comes. Falco honestly doesn't seem to be all that bothered by it."

"And Gabi?"

Levi swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat as he watched the two kids, at peace, yet destined for tragedy.

"It hits her pretty hard every now and again. A few days ago I found her crying in her room while Falco was off screwing around with the rest of the Shifters. I knew there was nothing I could say that hadn't already been said, so I just sat there and hugged her. When Falco got back, she was basically glued to his side the rest of the day. It weighs on her, but she knows that he just wants to enjoy the years he has left, so she's going to help him do that."

"They're good kids Levi, and you're a pretty great dad."

Levi chuckled and thanked her. They sat there for a few more minutes, just watching the kids, before Historia sighed and stood up slowly, mumbling to herself.

"You need to go?" Levi asked, his attention pulled back to her as Falco poked Gabi back awake.

"Yes. Apologies, but I have a rather important meeting with Premier Kirstein and the leaders of the Regiments. Of course, it's about all these damned disputes."

"There isn't much that's not about those these days." Levi forced himself to stand, supporting himself on the table to give Historia a one-armed hug before she began to unleash her horse. "Just try not to lose your mind, your visits are far too entertaining when you're complaining about ruling."

"Oh go to hell, Levi." They both laughed before Historia cracked Maria's reins and began to gallop off into the distance. "Goodbye Levi!"

"See you around Historia!" He yelled after her, watching her slowly fade into the distance. He smiled and turned back to the kids, they've tired themselves out more than enough. "Hey, Gabi! Falco! Why don't you come inside and I'll make us something to eat?"

The kids stirred slowly but nonetheless began to trudge over to the porch, Falco yawning and Gabi stretching her arms out. Levi grabbed the paper and rolled it up, holding it out in front of them before they got up the stairs. They both looked at him for a moment, their brains not connecting the dots, before the light came to life in their minds, kicking off their shoes.

"Good job kids." Levi said before Gabi suddenly engulfed him in a hug. He couldn't help but let out an involuntary laugh and patted her head. "Hey Gabi, what's this for?"

"Nothing, just... I love you, Levi." She gripped him even tighter and Falco even joined in, more likely because he felt left out rather than expressing his love for Levi, which he already said a lot compared to the girl. "Thank you for everything."

"Hey..." He whispered, kneeling down to wipe a few tears from her cheeks. "You shouldn't be thanking me for anything, this is the least I could do. I should be thanking you. You gave me this life when you agreed to live with me. You kids made me feel like I had purpose again. So thank you, both of you. Gabi, Falco, I love you too."

The two kids smiled at him, and he returned the expression before they helped him back to his feet and he leaned on his crutch once more.

"So, what do you both want for breakfast?"

"But we already had breakfast." Gabi said.

"A piece of bread doesn't constitute breakfast Gabi, and I know damn well that Falco didn't even eat that."

"But I wasn't hungry."

"Yeah well you've gotta eat breakfast Falco, trust me, or do you want this evening's cleaning duty again?"

"No, no, it's fine dad, I'll eat."

Gabi laughed at him and ruffled his hair, which of course Falco began to whine about, and Levi smiled, shaking his head at the two as they headed to the dinging table. He hadn't felt this whole in a long time, and even though he'd miss them all every day, Farlan, Isabel, Eld, Gunther, Oruo, Petra, Erwin, and Hange, this family that he, Gabi and Falco had made for each other, felt right. Even if the world descended to chaos, at least the three of them would finally have a chance to live the lives they deserved, in the world that was taken from them.

**Author's Note:**

> *Dad* Levi needs to become a more common thing in this fandom. That is all.


End file.
